


The Sun Rises on a Horizon I Won't Get To See

by Mellifluous Nebulous (Gastrodon)



Category: One Piece
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Fluff, M/M, Prologue, alabasta arc fillers, i'm really mean i'm sorry, slightly changed character design (luffy), some jokes you will only get if you have watched through marineford
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 02:17:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3364073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gastrodon/pseuds/Mellifluous%20Nebulous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seeing his brother again had Ace in one of the best of moods, but he gets the feeling there's something his little brother isn't telling him. </p><p>Specifically, about that little pink ribbon tied neatly into a bow right around his neck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sun Rises on a Horizon I Won't Get To See

**Author's Note:**

> hello!!! welcome to a series that will have probably three parts!! i hope this is ok. I have never written ace before;;;; i love him but i haven't written him!!
> 
> IMPORTANT STUFF LOOK HERE PLEASE!!!!! how luffy is described in this story is based off the way that i PERSONALLY draw him. as in how i headcanon how he looks. basically think. dark skin, fluffy/curly hair, eyelashes that are long and beautiful and shoujo like, and a pink ribbon around his neck. (2016 update: i've long since abandoned this design for him and it will not be used in any of my fics other than this one. except maybe the dark skin and fluffy hair ok bye)
> 
> a photo for reference: http://40.media.tumblr.com/b5c388078e900644005874711cd6647c/tumblr_nik24mBCLB1rotf1yo2_1280.png (from my blog)

To say Ace was happy to see his brother again was an understatement.

  
"--and that's how we met Vivi!" Luffy finished, firmly latched onto Ace's arm, pulling his older brother's left side down slightly as they trudged in the desert. "After that we met Chopper..."

  
Ace grinned down at his little brother, only half-listening to his story. Every time Luffy would explain how he met someone, he'd point at them and look back and forth between them and Ace like he was a child showing his parent some kind of drawing he did and looking for their reaction. Ace would nod at the crew member, who would usually just smile at him and focus back on dreading the heat and walking.

  
Luffy seemed very content holding onto Ace and rambling, catching up on lost years and moments, smiling all the while. (Except when he got too hot and then just started groaning and dragging his feet, really just being pulled along by Ace.)

  
As they walked, Ace noticed that his brother had changed very slightly in appearance. He was still short as hell, that probably would never change, but his hair was bouncier and fluffier now, his skin tanner. He still had kind of a baby face though, Big brown eyes still the same, still filled with light.  
As the sun started to set, and the night got colder, they set up their small little camps and tents and everyone settled down to rest. Luffy pulled off his blue makeshit turban, yelling about dinner to Sanji.

  
And that's when Ace saw it.

 

A pink ribbon, tied neatly into a bow right around his neck.

  
Ace blinked. He knew for a fact that hadn't always been there, and pink ribbons didn't really seem to be something Luffy would buy as a casual thing. Maybe Makino had given it to him while Ace was gone, as a gift for going his journey? It SEEMED like a Makino thing to do.

  
Ace watched as Luffy got up and bounced over to Zoro, plopping down next to the green haired swordsman and directing his bright smile at him, to which Zoro just raised his eyebrows and pushed at Luffy's face, successfully pushing him down onto the sand. Luffy sat back up, giggling up a storm before getting distracted by something Chopper said.  
Ace's eyes followed the Ribbon as he moved, furrowing his eyebrows. When did he...?

  
"Wondering about the ribbon?"

  
Ace looked up at Nami, who had pulled him right out of his thoughts. She sat next to him, sighing, "I am too." 

"He didn't tell you guys why he wears it?" Ace inquired, tilting his head slightly.

  
"Nope, not once. I never really tried to ask him, though." Nami answered, shrugging, "I think Usopp asked once, but Luffy never answered."

  
"Strange...He usually voices everything." Ace snorted, and Nami chuckled at that.

  
"That's for sure. Sometimes I don't know if he'll ever stay quiet."

  
"Does Zoro know? Him and Luffy seem close." Ace asked, and Nami rolled her eyes, resting her head in hand.

  
"They're way more than just close. I don't think he does, that or he just doesn't care. I can usually read what they're feeling like a book, but not this time. He just got it a little bit ago...Maybe right before we entered the Grand Line?" Nami explained, looking at Zoro, who yawned and stretched, rubbing at one of his eyes with the heel of his palm.

  
Ace hummed a response, looking over at Luffy, frowning. He'd find this out even if he died trying.

 

* * *

It was late. Ace sat up from his spot where he was sleeping, looking around at the sleeping crew members around him. Specifically, The Captain.

Luffy was near Ace, the only people between him and his brother being Usopp, but it wasn't really a large distance anyway. Luffy mumbled in his sleep, nuzzling closer to the source of warmth near him.

  
Which just so happened to be one Roronoa Zoro, who had practically cocooned himself around Luffy, holding him tight against his chest as he snored.  
It was kind of a silly sight, imagining the swordsman being one who would latch on like that wasn't really something Ace had expected, but in his defense, he didn't pay that much attention to how the swordsman would sleep.

 

Ace had gotten the feeling that Zoro and Luffy were a lot more than just friends, and this just helped prove it, with the addition of Nami's statement earlier. Ace didn't mind, really, it was Luffy's life and he was allowed to live it like he wanted, and he wasn't going to kill Zoro for it...maybe. Zoro seemed nice enough and like he really cared about Luffy quite a deal, but even if Ace stepped in, he knew that Luffy would be stubborn and hang out tight to what he wanted. And that was Zoro. So he wasn't going to stop him. (He might subject Zoro to a well needed, cliche big brother speech, however.)

  
Ace's attention was drawn to the ribbon again, barely visible on Luffy's neck due to the position he was in. It wasn't like the ribbon didn't suit Luffy, it kind of did, but it was just...unexplained and new. Ace just wanted to know the secret behind it.

  
The sound of Luffy mumbling again and turning to shove Zoro's arms off of him as he sat up brought Ace drew his eyes toward his little brother's face, as Luffy sat up and yawned widely, pulling his legs out of being tangled with Zoro's, looking half asleep.

  
"Can't sleep?"

  
Luffy jumped slightly at the sound of Ace's voice, seeing him smirking and looking over at him. Luffy rubbed one of his eyes, nodding.

  
"Want to go talk?" Ace jerked his head to outside of the tent, and Luffy nodded once more, carefully stepping over Zoro and the others, Ace following after.

  
Luffy shivered, and Ace found himself thankful for being made of fire, wrapping an arm around Luffy and sitting down with him, keeping his arm around Luffy's shoulders.  
"Couldn't get comfortable." Luffy said quietly, refering to the whole sleeping thing. "Sand is weird to sleep on."

  
"Lumpy, right?" Ace nodded, rubbing his brother's shoulder as Luffy hummed, pressing closer to Ace's side. "So, Luffy..."

  
"What?"

"You and Zoro?"

  
Ace snickered as Luffy went rigid for a second, before relaxing again.

  
"Aa, yeah. Me and Zoro."

  
"Are you two...?"

  
"Mm, we're in love, I think." Luffy shrugged, drawing a pattern in the sand. Ace frowned at that.

  
"You think?"

  
Luffy looked up at him, staring at Ace like he was dumb. "I've never been in love. I don't really know how to describe it, but I don't wanna call it a mystery feeling! Zoro says he thinks we're in love, and I think we're in love, but Zoro also says he's never really been in love either. So I'm his first love. So we don't know if we really do love eachother like other people do, but I think we do." Luffy elaborated.

  
"That so?" Ace said, hoping to prompt more information on this subject.

  
"Yeah! I think I can tell what I feel for Zoro is really special though. Because I love you, and I love my crew, but we're all family. But with Zoro it's like..." Luffy frowned, trying to come up with words to describe the feeling. "It's kind of like my chest feels all fuzzy whenever I think about him and my face gets all warm and I get all flustered about it. So I think that means I love him. I hope that means I love Zoro, at least. It'd be bad if I didn't."

  
"I'd call that love, kid. Can I ask you something else now?" Ace glanced at the ribbon. Now or never, he guessed.

  
"Anything!"

"What's with that ribbon?"

  
Luffy blinked, like he just now remembered he was wearing it. He stopped drawing in the sand to poke at his neck, feeling the pink bow there, and smiling softly suddenly. "Aah, this. It's very important to me!"

  
"Why is it important?"

"That's because..." Luffy hesitated, playing with one of the tails from the bow. "It's kind of a secret. I dunno if I'm s'posed to tell people about it."

  
"Not even your own brother?" Ace faked mock hurt, feigning a pained gasp and acting like he had just been gotten some hole through the chest or something. "Cruelty. Piracy has changed you, Monkey D. Luffy."

  
"What? Nonono, I wanna tell you, I do!" Luffy quickly amended, waving his hands rapidly, almost dislodging Ace's arm from around his shoulders, "I just don't know if Zoro wants me to tell anyone, because he's really embarrassed by it."

  
"Zoro?" Ace smirked again, "So it's from him?"

  
Luffy rubbed the back of his head, giggling sheepishly. "Kind of?"

  
"Well, whatever. When you think it's okay to tell me, I'll be there to listen. Promise!" Ace ruffled Luffy's hair, and Luffy smacked at his hand, laughing loudly.

  
There was a grumble from behind them, and both brothers looked behind them, only to find Zoro sitting half way up, glaring.

  
"Shut the hell up, guys. M'trying to sleep here." Zoro growled, and Luffy stuck his tongue out at him.

  
"You're just cranky 'cos I stopped cuddling you and you can't sleep unless I'm right next to you." Luffy teased, and Ace raised an eyebrow at Zoro, resisting the urge to snort.

  
"What--I can sleep fine without you! The hell is your--"

  
"Marimo, stop before you even start."

  
"Fuck off, Cook."

  
Luffy pushed off Ace's arm lightly, scooting away. "I'm getting tired anyway. We should go back to sleep! I gotta be ready so I can kick Crocodile's ass, right? Goodnight, Ace!" Luffy hugged his brother tight quickly before pulling back and walking back over to Zoro, shoving him down back on the ground and worming his way into Zoro's arms.  
Ace directed his eyes up at the stars as the sand settled from the chilled winds, not finding himself tired at the moment.

  
A special ribbon from the grumpy asshole swordsman himself, huh?

  
He couldn't wait to find out the meaning.

 

**Author's Note:**

> ace never finds out i'm so sorry  
> i am also sorry for this being kind of formatted weird  
> ok bye
> 
> EDIT: This series will not continue, nor will there be anymore fics about it. If you'd like to know the meaning of the Ribbon, see this here: http://baratiepromise.tumblr.com/post/139323299571/ribbon-explained


End file.
